Slaying our Inner Dinosaur

It is all around us We all talk about it We are buffeted by it We participate in conferences about it We hand down edicts and issue press releases about change initiativesBut individually we abhor it Change sucks Particularly for decision makersChange exposes us to vulnerability and loss of control of clout of turf and of face It demeans the very currency of expertise seniority networks and image we spend decades building How dare some pompous young pup some fresh idea some innovative technology some fearless startup or bossy consumer challenge usThe twophase inner dinosaur shuffleWe let our inner dinosaur roar and roam unleashed against these threatening changes to our ecosystem by indulging in a twostep shuffleFirst we justify our refusal to change via the Deflection DanceBlame our myopic bosses who are approaching retirement or the organization that has too much money riding on status quo Attribute inaction to the profit pressures and business realities we carry on our shouldersSuggest the Client or Customer gave only lip service to change readinessRebuke the employeesamp160 They are not trained or motivated for this stuff Exhume specimens from the whenthingswentwrong Remember whenWait for others to find the landminesThe second step is Change Botox little injections of temporary surface embellishments to distract from real change amp160Common manifestationsAnnounce the retention of a Consulting firm who over the next X months will benchmark and develop a plan of actionLaunch a Vision or Change 202X task force to amp8220get out in frontamp8221 of changeHire a talent agency next generation modern marketing firm or niche agency then issue a press releaseRelaunch a quiet unsupported brand or initiative with a small budget dedicated to a new way so there is something to point toFive weapons slay our inner dinosaurs and dragonsHere are fiveamp160ways of slaying inner dinosaur disease a own change b empower the iconoclasts c cross the line d leverage organizational inertia e act to change or change your act1amp160Own change If you change others will followamp160If they do not change your partners or your optionsIt cannot be achieved via delegation outsourcing or by committeeChange would be easy if there were no people or organizations to get in the way This draws a laugh among leaders and often a pensive quotso truequotLess comfortable for the leaders who run organizations is that we are often the people who get in the way Appointing a change agent hiring some boutique agency with a hip name securing a powered consultant to affect change or just embracing cool and different behavior might be part of an answer But it is our organization and it is us who must eventually be the doer of new things2 Empower the iconoclasts There are many talented revolutionaries within your corporate environment but they are often dismissed as quottoo juniorquotamp160to add valueamp160 Seek out your best thinkers at any level or ageamp160Listen to them give them a platform and the support they need to achieve their goals Encourage them to attack your ideas your company Too many of us get delusional surrounded by sycophants who either fear them or lust for the dollars we control amp160While organizations can clearly promote a culture that is conducive to innovation it is ultimately the individual that matters the passionate risktaking cautiontothewind individualamp160Not some group think an organizational grope or some socialistic homogenized outward bound team3amp160Cross the line We all cower within selfdrawn boundaries Too often we selfedit ourselves fearful of crossing a lineamp160Or we wait for permissionRemember you do not know where the line is until you cross itamp160Let ethics guide you and start changing things Now You will be surprised to find that people will not stop you but most likely will follow youCross the line Often you will notice the line was in your imaginationamp160You might learn that those who once prevented you from crossing this were not aware of a line at all4amp160Leverage organizational inertiaamp160It is possible to get quotThe Companyquotamp160to do what we want if we simply start doing itIf getting approval requires lots of forms presentations and justification it means your organization may suffer from so much inertia it might not actually know how to say no This is a real opportunity for the daringamp160Instead of asking for approval to start something why not take the initiative and see if the company stops youamp160No harm done rightamp160Key is that the idea or initiative is ethical and legalamp160Most important in todayamp8217s fast moving and ever increasingly digital world the lines we draw around our categories are disappearingamp160So are the barriers and lines that once controlled competition in our industries Did any phone company executive a few years ago predict competition from Skype Or Whats Appamp160New competitors appear all the time as do new threats but so do new potential partners and opportunitiesCrossing the line is a lonely jobamp160It is you who must eventually be the doer of new thingsIf you are successful why not be willing to take a risk Are you not amazed at how many admired world class organizations are overly cautiousamp160If they cannot grasp the opportunity to fail at some greater thing are they not already in the process of ossification5 Act to change or change your actYou might be a highly talented individual cowering within some imagined or real constraint If your company is repressing you and you are good risk taking can only beget one of two outcomes You will succeed or you will be asked to leave If you are asked to leave and you are good many companies will be ready to hire you or you could go into business for yourself But staying put and becoming some bureaucratic czar will eventually lead to you resenting yourself and reducing your market valueDo yourself a favoramp160Cross the lineamp160Most times no one will stop youChallenge yourself to fail once you have succeededamp160Seize bigger opportunitiesPhoto at top by Huang Yingone UnsplashClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

Slaying our Inner Dinosaur

Author

Publish date

Channel

Rishad Tobaccowala

Breaking Barriers: Nada Bradbury’s AD-ID Strategy for Advertising Effectiveness and Women in Tech - By E.B. Moss

More Videos:

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE MEDIAVILLAGE CONTENT | BECOME A THOUGHT LEADERSHIP CONTRIBUTOR

Slaying our Inner Dinosaur

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Rishad Tobaccowala

Stay in the know with more from MediaVillage

Breaking Barriers: Nada Bradbury’s AD-ID Strategy for Advertising Effectiveness and Women in Tech - By E.B. Moss

Cookies